A.J. Hinch on Yuli Gurriel's Dodger Stadium reception: 'As long and as loud a boo as I've heard'

LOS ANGELES — Before Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel’s first at-bat in Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday, Dodgers starter Rich Hill stepped off the mound to give the Los Angeles crowd more time to jeer Gurriel. Broadcast cameras caught the Cuba-born infielder making a racist gesture aimed at Yu Darvish during Game 3 of the series, and the Los Angeles crowd welcomed Gurriel with a long, sustained chorus of boos.

“That was as loud and as long a boo as I’ve heard in my time in sports,” A.J. Hinch said before Wednesday’s Game 7. “He’s doing the best he can to get past this. I don’t think the Dodger fans will let him get past it until — maybe never. I think people have long memories in situations like this.

“He’s still sorry. He’s still regretful. He’s still remorseful. He’s still got a penalty to pay. Sports will bring out a lot of emotions. So he’ll show up ready to play (Wednesday) and, again, we’ll try to rectify what happened over time.”

(Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also weighed in on Hill’s delay and Gurriel’s reception.

“This is a very close group, and for (Hill) to acknowledge that moment on behalf of Yu, I’m sure that Yu appreciated that,” Robers said. “The fans obviously got to voice their displeasure. I was just happy to see him get back on the mound and refocus.”

Gurriel is set to bat fifth in the Astros lineup for Wednesday’s elimination game. Darvish will start the game for the Dodgers.

A.J. Hinch on Yuli Gurriel's Dodger Stadium reception: 'As long and as loud a boo as I've heard'

Dodgers starter Rich Hill gave the crowd extra time to jeer Gurriel for his racist Game 3 gesture.

I found this on FTW and wanted to share:
%link%
For more great sports stories ...
*visit For The Win: https://www.ftw.usatoday.com
*follow @ForTheWin: https://www.twitter.com/forthewin
*like FTW on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usatodayftw